Sally Said Sew

Between job hunting, a long overdue vacation to Colorado Springs and then the recent wildfires in Washington which resulted in us being evacuated, I have been doing some sewing. Here are some of my recent projects. For my Aunt Sally Runaround Bag in Skylines Fabric Doll Quilt Swap Front Doll Quilt Swap Label For my friend, Lori

Now that I no longer have to travel for work, I opted back in on the Doll Quilt Swap for June. This month's theme was "Patriotic". I own a quilt pattern by This & That called Sideways & Byways . One day I will make this quilt, but for now, I thought the block pattern would make a cute mini quilt. "Sideways & Byways" Quilt Pattern Here is my block in a red, white and blue theme. I stitched in the ditch to quilt it. For the red, I used a fabric printed like a bandana. It's an all-American print for me since it reminds me of cowboys. Finished size is 18.5" x 18.5". "Blues & Bandana" Quilt Backing This was a very easy block to make. The pattern is well-written and easy to follow. I highly recommend this pattern.

I got back into the doll quilt swap for the month of January. Once I got through the Christmas rush, I knew I should have time to make a mini quilt. My partner this month was Amy P. from Wisconsin. I knew her favorite colors were red and teal and that she did like modern quilts. I'm not sure the one I made is truly considered modern, but I like what I came up with. "Spool Sisters" When I quilted it, I did a meandering all-over stitch to represent a piece of loose thread. Then I did a tighter stitch pattern on the large spool to represent the thread wound on it.   Stitch Detail I finished it off with faux piping on the binding. I adore the quilt I received from Amy! She stepped out of her comfort zone by making a modern quilt with appliqued hearts. I Heart This! Amy was really clever with her quilting stitch. She used a zig zag pattern that she said reminded her of a heart beating.  Stitch Detail This is a perfect little quilt just in time...

The theme for August was "summer".  This is my interpretation that came to me in the middle of night. Here I was thinking I was doing something original only to learn that many "Polaroid" quilts exist. Oh well. :-) "Summer Memories" Finished size was about 19" x 19" (I forgot to record the finished dimensions). Because my longarm was waiting on a part, I ended up using my domestic sewing machine to quilt it using an echo pattern on elements found in each square. I liked the way it turned it for the most part.

I recently signed up for a facebook group to exchange doll size quilts. I enjoy participating in swaps including one I already do to exchange 1 yard of fabric each month with a new swap partner. July's theme for the doll quilt swap is Christmas in July. I had fun planning my quilt layout and then making and quilting it. I especially enjoyed the quilting part since I did it all freehand and used it as a learning experience for doing filler patterns. I am pleased with how it turned out and I think my swap partner, Sandy, will like it, too. Christmas in July Doll Quilt